Former Leader of Armenian Mafia Sentenced to 40 Years in the U.S.

Levon Termenjian, known as Lev Aslan Dermen, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in a fraudulent scheme exceeding $1 billion, according to ABC7.

The former head of the Armenian mafia in Los Angeles was found guilty after a seven-week trial of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in connection with members of a 'polygamist' sect in Utah.

Dermen was a billionaire in Bel Air and a gas station owner when he joined forces with members of the Kingston clan. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that from 2010 to 2018, he conspired with various members of the Kingston clan to fraudulently obtain over $1 billion in renewable fuel tax credits. The IRS ultimately paid over $511 million in credit to Washakie Renewable Energy, a biodiesel company in Utah owned by Jacob and Isaiah Kingston.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Kingstons shared the proceeds from the fraud between themselves and Dermen. Jacob Kingston, 46, entered into a plea deal and testified against Dermen, telling jurors that they had more money than they could launder, which led them to purchase luxury items such as Lamborghinis, Bugattis, as well as private jets, yachts, and mansions in Turkey, Utah, and Huntington Beach.

The prosecution revealed that Dermen hired a team of corrupt law enforcement officers, including former Department of Homeland Security agent Felix Cisneros, Glendale's former detective John Baliyan, and ex-FBI agent Babak Broumand.

In addition to his prison sentence, Dermen has been ordered to pay $442,615,520 in restitution and more than $181 million in fines to the IRS. Jacob Kingston, co-owner and CEO of Washakie, has been ordered to pay the IRS $511 million in restitution and has also been sentenced to 18 years in prison.